Love, if at all
by Ispreno
Summary: INCOMPLETE! With new allies, Squall and his posse begin yet another struggle against a new nemesis. This story is incomplete and pending rewrite.. Read it at your own peril i.e. if you want to know how i wrote as a 15yearold.
1. Stranger

**:: No Love ::**

"Squall Leonhart," A woman murmured to herself, a small smile forming on her lips. She was standing just outside the gate of Balamb Garden. Casually twirling her gunblade with a single hand, she took long strides into the compound.

@--}----

"Commander!" A female student rushed into the busy cafeteria, where Squall Leonhart, Rinoa Heartilly and the others were sitting at a table, chatting. She was panting, her chest heaving with each deep breath she took as she sagged against a pillar.

A firm hand held her steady, then guided her to a chair, the previous occupant holding it out.

Then lowering himself on one knee, Squall met the girl's eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"I, uh, there's… a…." The girl stumbled over her words.

"Hey girl slow down and just give us the facts," Irvine Kinneas drawled lazily from the other end of the table.

"Well… um… the, there's a man, no, woman… er… at the front entrance of the Garden. And she's… um sorta, asking to meet Squ- uh no, Commander," She stuttered all the way to the end, both flattered and embarrassed at the attention the six all-powerful people of the Garden were giving her. The leftover warmth of Squall's hand on her arm made her knees no less weaker than when she had ran in all the way from the Garden entrance. And the girls should just see how he lowered himself on one knee……

"Uh girl? GIRL?" A loud and boisterous voice snapped her out of her wandering thoughts. The girl looked up to see a huge face looming in front of hers, and she instinctively backed her chair – into its previous occupant.

"Ow!" Selphie Tilmitt jumped away from the seated girl, waving her fingers around madly in the air. Apparently her finger had been caught between the table and chair when the girl moved back.

"Like waving them around is going to help much," Quistis Trepe shook her head with a small smile as she took Selphie's fingers in her hand for the once-over.

"Eep." The girl made a face. "Sorry."

"So back to the topic. You said a woman's looking for Squall?" Zell cut in.

Everyone's attention automatically returned to the girl, who nodded fiercely.

"Hmm… Do you think… " Zell actually looked smart for a moment as he pondered over who the woman could be.

Everyone turned to look at him expectantly.

"That it's actually Squall's ex-flame who is back for Squall after he did all that saving-the-world stuff? Or maybe it's his long lost sister, who's actually the……"

6 pairs of eyes rolled simultaneously.

They had hoped for a bit too much.


	2. Challenge

**:: No Love :: **

"So, Squall Leonhart. Finally showed up huh?" A feminine voice rang out in the distance as Squall and the others exited the Garden building. Covering a bit more distance at a run, the group glimpsed a woman standing in the middle of the large space at the front of the building.

She cut an impressive figure with a white, translucent blade drawn and held with a single hand at her side. The black catsuit, which covered her like a second skin, besides drawing much male attention, also brought out the paleness of her skin and the grey eyes that were set within a slim heart-shaped face. Her hair drifted lazily in the light breeze, a glowing mane of white.

"You're?" Wary of the stranger and the deadly blade she carried at her side, Squall spoke carefully as he descended the steps with his friends close behind. His hand was on his gunblade, but he kept it safely out of view, should this small movement of his trigger off hostility from the other party.

The woman watched Squall and his posse carefully. They looked just like any other 19 year olds, nothing on their faces or the way they carried themselves showed that they were the few who single-handedly saved the world from Sorceress Ultimecia.

She smirked. They didn't even look the least bit intimidating, except for perhaps the leader of them – Squall Leonhart. Maybe that was why he was the leader.

The grin on her face grew wider.

To Squall and his posse, that smile on the stranger's face was equivalent to a panther licking its bloodstained fangs, looking at its next meal.

Selphie shuddered. Suddenly even this sleeveless dress that she wore all the time in wintery Trabia seemed insufficient in summery Balamb.

Rinoa moved closer to Squall, finding the warmth that came from him reassuring.

Squall seemed not the least bit disconcerted, looking the woman steely in the eye.

Just then, the woman [ a/n: im getting sick of typing 'the woman', lol ] raised her blade and pointed it straight at Squall. That was when Squall recognized the distinct features of the weapon as a gunblade. It was a beautiful one too, the blade made out of a material so white and translucent, it looked like it was made out of ice.

"I'm here, to challenge you, Leonhart."


	3. Duel

**:: No Love :: **

Squall barely blinked at the challenge that was just thrown into his face. Instead, it was the others who got agitated.

"What makes you think you can just barge in here and challenge our commander just like that? Hasn't he got anything else to do besides fight any lowlife who walks into this school?" Irvine stepped out.

*Tornado* A word issued from the woman's lips, and suddenly, Irvine felt himself being lifted up, then dropped unceremoniously onto the hard ground.

"Ouch!!!" He yelled, still on the floor. He made no move to pick himself up until Selphie came and helped him up. 

"Be polite." Came the reply from the cold lips. 

"Why you…" Irvine drew his Exeter, ready to do battle, but found himself being blocked by Squall. 

"Squall?" He looked at the latter questioningly.

"I accept your challenge," Squall looked past Irvine to the spot where the woman stood. 

Her cold features formed a smile. 

"I was waiting for this," She gathered up her snow-white hair with a single hand, and twisted it into a bun which she set low at the nape of her neck. 

Then, holding her beautiful gunblade at the ready, she nodded. 

"Let's go." 

Before the last word even fell from her lips, the two gunblades had already met with a resounding clang. The onlookers winced at the jarring sound as it repeated itself twice more. 

Squall slid his gunblade along hers till it caught at one of the many grooves along the blade, then twisted it. It was a move designed to disarm the opponent, but it seemed to have no effect on her as she twisted herself under their interlocking blades, a counter-move to his stroke. She then performed a complex series of moves which he initially recognized as the basic moves which every gunblade user knew, but it gradually evolved into something much more complicated, as he found himself fighting to keep up. 

He dealt two strong blows at her, but she managed to dodge one, and hold the other off with a deft twist of her gunblade. Squall suddenly realized he was dealing with a true gunblade specialist as another elaborate slash she made found its target along the inside of his right arm. Blood dripped from the wound as he continued to fend off her attacks. 

Rinoa looked on anxiously at the fight, her eye mainly on Squall rather than his opponent. She could see that one of them was hurt – a splatter of blood here and there on the ground was evidence of that. She only hoped it wasn't him.  

Another ringing clang, and at long last, the two gunblades separated, Squall with the impressive gash along his arm to show for his efforts. The woman, however, seemed unhurt, as she stood there holding her gunblade. 

A collective murmur rose from a crowd of students a short distance away who had undoubtedly gathered to watch the duel. 

Squall closed his eyes as his friends rushed forward to his side. He had lost. 

(((Clatter))) 

Squall's eyes flew open to see the woman kneeling on the floor, her gunblade abandoned to one side. Her right hand was at her chest, while the other clutched at the smooth ground. She seemed to be in pain. 

"Well dude, it seems like you won…" Zell grinned up at Squall, who was stunned. 

**Flashback~~**

She twisted her arm out from the lock he had caught it in, then let go of her gunblade, letting it fall, before catching it again with the other hand. The split second in which she was totally defenceless provided an opening for Squall, who delivered a blow to her chest. 

Pain flickered over her face for a moment, before becoming cold again, the only evidence of the humanity she just showed the colour of her face— deathly white. 

**End flashback~~ **

He hadn't believed that such a light blow, which barely skimmed her chest, could have caused such pain. But he had had more pressing matters at hand then to worry about than to put his mind to such trivialities.

Now, however, he could see the reason. 

(An injury.) 

(She was fighting with an injury.) 

(Yet she beat me so easily.) 

Filled with newfound respect for the stranger, Squall walked over to where she had fallen and picked up her gunblade. 

"Are you alright?" He held out the weapon to her. 

"Hm?" She raised her head to look at him, and saw the faint concern in his eyes. 

Smiling slightly, she took her weapon back from him and slid the blade back into the slim case across her back, where it belonged to when not in use. 

"Thank you." 

"No problem." 

Quistis and the others watched the exchange between the two people who were just fighting tooth and nail earlier, bemused.  

Weren't they supposed to be enemies? 

Squall opened his mouth to speak again, but found himself being abruptly cut off by the woman instead. 

"I admit defeat, Commander," She had anticipated Squall's move, and was one step ahead of him. 

"What?" Having been caught unawares, disbelief was written all over Squall's face. 

"Yes, you didn't hear wrongly, I am admitting defeat," She said as she slowly and painfully got to her feet. 

(((Snicker.))) 

A sound came from overhead. 

The woman was silent for a moment, then spoke calmly.

"Ryn, get your sorry ass down here right now. Or do I have to go up and get you?" 

(((Silence))) 

"RYN!" A strangled sound issued from her lips. 

"Alright, alright, keep your cool," A voice came from above, then a black figure dropped from above.

Everyone immediately drew their weapons, a conditioned reflex action from encountering too many surprise attacks. Squall raised a hand, motioning for the others to remain where they were. 

As the figure straightened up from its crouch, everyone could see that it was a guy, and a rather good-looking one at that. 

"Aea," The guy looked at the hand the woman had pressed to her chest, and shook his head slightly, "I tried to talk you out of it…"

Ignoring him, the woman turned back around to face Squall. Then, raising the same gloved hand,  she crossed her right arm across her chest, fingers splayed, and bowed slightly. 

Sighing, the man followed suit. 

Squall recognized the special greeting, as did all the others. 

"Elite seeD Aea/Ryn reporting for duty, Sir."


	4. Identity

**:: No Love :: **

"Elite SeeD…" Quistis breathed almost reverently as she watched the handsome pair. 

"What? What elite seeD?" Rinoa pulled her attention from the scene unfolding in front of her to look at the young Instructor.

"…SeeD who are the crème de la crème of each batch of students from the Gardens all over the world…" Zell said.

"…Sent to a secret location…" Selphie continued.

"…And trained in ultimate SeeD arts, eventually attaining Elite status." Irvine ended.

"Sounds like something from a textbook," Rinoa murmured softly.

Overhearing her words, Quistis nodded.

"It is. Glad you people still remember the stuff I've taught you," She turned an eye to Zell and Selphie, who took one look at each other and began to laugh.

Raising an eyebrow, Quistis let the barest bit of a smile flicker across her face, then turned back to the action taking place in front of them.

(What the?)

(Elite SeeDs?!)

Squall scrutinized the pair standing in front of him.

The newcomer wore a white collared-shirt that was turned up at the sleeves, and a pair of black trousers. Both articles of clothing looked freshly-pressed, which seemed highly unlikely since he had been sitting at the top of a tree before and his clothes ought to have crumpled up, or at the very least, creased. A matching black coat was lightly draped over one shoulder, and in his left hand, he held a silver metal whip.

(Why are they here for?)

(And, are they even for real?)

As Squall looked back up at them again, he noticed that they were, in fact, not looking at him at all, but looking beyond him…

He whirled around to see Headmaster Cid standing behind him, smiling at the two people beyond his field of view.

(Wait, Headmaster knows these guys?)

"That was a great fight, Aea," Cid said as he walked past Squall and took the female's hand.

A smile played on her lips.

"Yes, it was. You have raised your SeeDs well, Headmaster," She replied, her gaze falling on the buzzing crowd.

A light chuckle came from the Headmaster.

"Still as glib as ever…"

"Headmaster, I would like you to meet my partner…"

"Ryn Escane," The voice that cut into the female's words was smooth and had a soothing quality to it that seemed to charm all that were listening… all except Aea.

"I was speaking," She turned to Ryn in annoyance.

"I know, but I can introduce myself well enough thankyouverymuch," He returned her gaze from beneath half-closed eyelids.

"Suit yourself," Aea returned her attention to the Headmaster.

"You both get along very well, I see," Cid gave Ryn a congenial smile, which the man returned in kind, the smile illuminating his handsome features.

"Yes we do… we do…" Aea muttered to herself, shooting the guy an evil stare.

"What?" Cid looked at her questioningly.

"Huh? Oh, just…"

"If we could start our discussion?" Ryn spoke.


End file.
